The Soft Faces Painter (Unknown Artist/The Winter Limner)

What do you do when you can’t find an artist’s name?

In my experience, the only option is just to keep looking, digging, and searching through paintings, gradually grouping by style and likeness. With time and effort, the process yields a collection that looks like they belong together, a valuable base to build upon. Sometimes, miraculously, a picture will turn up with a signed inscription on the back — in which case, you celebrate for 2 minutes and keep right on going. But, in the absence of any such breakthrough, the best method is to keep collecting images, getting to know the artists and their idiosyncratic quirks. After a while, they start to feel like anonymous pen-pals whose handwriting you’d recognize anywhere. 

Without further ado, allow me to present the Soft Faces Painter.

Fig. 1, various sources (see article text)

Their work is characterized by (as you may guess) soft, childlike faces with stylized features; distant gazes with big, rounded eyes; simplified hands, often with the fingertips bent or hidden; a smoothly airbrushed quality to the paintwork; and other distinctive but noticeable commonalities, like that button-like nose with the shine on the tip, and a placid, expressionless smile. Features are centered on the face, not placed too low or high on the skull. Clothes are not rendered with realistic wrinkles and creases, but represented with smoothly shaded shapes. Now and then, the subjects will look back towards the camera, but more typically, they simply gaze off into the distance, frozen in a staged moment.

Fig. 2, various sources (see below)

(top row, left to right: Deborah and Elijah Thompson, both painted 1838, oil on tulipwood panel, found in western New York; Portrait of a Young Girl, oil on canvas, provenance unknown, via private NJ collection, unsold by James D. Julia in 2014. bottom row: Portrait of a Boy with a Book, oil on wood panel, via Estate of William Postar (Boston), sold by Grogan Auction Co in 2014; Portrait of a Gentleman, oil on panel, no provenance, sold by Grogan in 2012 (and sold once before in 2002, also by Grogan); Portrait of a Woman, oil on canvas, no provenance, sold by Christie’s in 2005). 

Naturally, there are other examples — many of which we’ll cover here. But, while I was getting acquainted with the Soft Faces Painter (SFP), these were the first clear and definitive examples of the artist’s “look.” Very little else is known about most of these pictures, either in provenance or otherwise, although they’ve served as a useful visual reference key. Unfortunately, only two of the six are named at all —  which may be a contributing factor in why the artist is stuck in obscurity, for now.

The SFP crossed my radar early on, starting with the portrait of Elijah Thompson, which I stashed in a folder of notes with the label “unrecognizable hand but beautiful!,” an assessment that I stand by. I’d found the angelic little child on the endlessly useful Frick DigiCo, but the Frick’s typewritten papers do not add much information that isn’t already included in the current Jeffrey Tillou listing (price upon request… I haven’t asked.) Elijah’s puppy may provide an important stylistic clue, since I've found that folk artists’ depictions of animals are always strongly recognizable. But the SFP’s manner of rendering a face is distinctive enough on its own.

Fig. 3, via Frick Digital Collections

Funnily, upon a quick DigiCo search for the companion portrait of Elijah's sister Deborah Thompson, I stumbled across an entry for one Thompson Limner, known for the portraits of Justus Thompson and Mrs. Justus Thompson (Elizabeth Nicoll) c. 1801. Needless to say, the gap of 37 years — and the stark difference between the crispness in Mr. and Mrs. Thompson’s clothes and the smooth, blended shading of the Thompson children’s attire — makes a direct connection between these artists highly unlikely. Alas, our Soft Faces Painter cannot be dubbed the Thompson Limner (Fig. 4). We will have to find another Limner name to grant them some proper dignity.

Fig. 4, via Frick Digital Collections

Fortunately, there’s more to work with. Double portraits are uncommon, but we do have another mother and child portrait, which comes with a bit of provenance: 

This finely painted itinerant American oil portraiture of a mother and child originated from an estate in Maine, USA and was brought to the Minneapolis Area over 20 years ago. The painting is wonderfully detailed with extraordinary facial features on the sitters and other fine details with jewelry, the book held by the child and the clothing.

Fig. 5, via Claire Steyaert Antiques

It’s hard not to notice how closely it resembles the other mother and child (Fig. 6), though this piece is more sophisticated, and probably chronologically later. There is more definition here, and a stronger sense of character, though the portrait still has that indirect, slightly vacant gaze that holds it back from the threshold of realism. Nevertheless, it is charming, and the artist has evidently improved at hands. The meticulous fabric patterns are also a very nice touch.

Fig. 6, via Christie's and Claire Steyaert Antiques

It is safe to say the double portrait on the right represents a later, more evolved version of the SFP’s style. And what a difference a high-resolution photo makes!  

But it’s not always so simple. One uncertain entry in my compilation is “Miss Perkins” (Fig. 7), inexplicably attributed to Joseph Whiting Stock, held at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Florida. Reviewing this image again, I am not completely sure that it belongs to the oeuvre of the SFP — the mouth is fuller than I would expect — but those large, stylized eyes have a great deal in common. You are free to make up your own mind, and I will reserve judgment. But, if nothing else, I can say with absolute certainty that that is not a Joseph Whiting Stock cat (nor is it a Joseph Whiting Stock child.) Speaking frankly, half the paintings sold as Joseph Whiting Stock could never have come from that artist’s brush. But that is another article of its own…

Fig. 7, via Museum of Arts and Sciences in Florida (MOAS)

(See here for a further discussion of Whiting Stock cats. Note the difference in the faces.) 

Fig. 8, via MOAS and Paintings Worth Looking At

There are no shortage of misnamed portraits – and there’s another which can be definitively attributed as the Soft Faces Painter. This double portrait of Wealthy Jones Winter and Sarah Marie Winter (Fig. 9) wrongly bears the label of John Brewster Jr, but is unmistakably the work of the SFP.

Fig. 9, via Sotheby's

However, this has little resemblance to John Brewster Jr.’s legitimate works, such as Betsy Avery Brewster (Fig. 10). I wrote to an experienced folk art research correspondent who has notable expertise in Brewster, and he confirmed my suspicions. He told me that they “smack of mid-Atlantic portraits of the Federal period,” and pointed out "the two sisters were attributed by [a dealer] who only saw sisters named Benjamins.” (!) Needless to say, there appears to be no solid reason to let the attribution stand unquestioned. As much as I wish it were that simple, Brewster is not the Soft Faces Painter. We are back at square one.

Fig. 10, via CRN Auctions and Sotheby's

The Winter portrait originated in Bath, Maine, c. 1827, setting up a solid time-frame of the artist’s improvement compared to the later Thompson children. It comes with history, too: the Winter family was affluent and renowned (perhaps the reason for naming one of the children “Wealthy!”) As such, perhaps the artist had some acclaim, or at least a positive reputation, in order to earn the commission. As the biography says: 

The Winter family traces its roots in Bath to the mid-eighteenth century, when the grandfather of the sitters, Francis Winter, a Boston native and Harvard graduate settled in there. Winter served as a representative to the Massachusetts legislature as the First Congregational Pastor in Bath. His son Samuel (1789-1835) married Sarah Bowman (1793-1828) in 1814 and had seven children including Wealthy (b. 1819) and Sarah (b.1817). Samuel was a sea captain, sheriff and leader of the local Bath Whig Party.

There is a second portrait of two other Winter siblings, Marcia and William (Fig. 11). Unfortunately, it is similarly misattributed, and might have suffered a further injustice: the canvas may have been cut down. Compositionally, it looks like it ought to be part of a larger portrait, but it is only 14 x 10 inches! But, even without bodies to match, it serves as a useful reminder of the artist’s stylistic consistency — you could spot those faces anywhere. 

Fig. 11, via Keno Auctions

There are some scattered outliers among my SFP notes. This painting, at Colonial Williamsburg, has a real similarity but originated in Georgia, probably taking it out of contention. This “Portrait of a New England Gentleman” (Fig. 11) however, aligns very closely with the SFP’s style. I feel that it’s much tougher to pick out this artist's technique with adults than with children, but after some deliberation, I’m comfortable including it in my compilation. Sadly, the sale took place in 2004, and it's impossible to say what subsequently became of the portrait. Hopefully he is safe and sound somewhere.

Fig. 11, via Bonhams Skinner 

This next piece (Fig. 12), whom I granted the slightly undignified moniker of “basket kid,” is another old sale (June 20, 2005). Frustratingly, most of the SFP’s works were sold in the 2000s, lending relatively few opportunities for close-up study of high-quality images. Nonetheless, the artist’s aesthetic is, once again, unmistakable. Many folk artists’ versions of the concept of a child are rightly described as “doll-like,” but the SFP especially fits this definition. There is something about the posing of the hands that is reminiscent of the molded arms of a plastic figure, with wrists that cannot be bent. And the face is smoothed, optimized, and idealized, with a placid, bland expression. One could envision this child in miniature on the shelf of a toy store.

Fig. 12, via Artnet (auction house unknown)

Nevertheless, all critiques aside, this is an artist of some significant talent and undeniable naive appeal. What the individual child lacks in characterization is compensated for by overall charm. The pieces are not incisively striking in the same way as a Peckham child portrait, and maybe this is why the Soft Faces Painter has flown beneath the radar for so long. But, to their credit, the SFP's style is distinctive and memorable, and it stands out enough that it’s fully possible to assemble and attribute a whole group. 

However, it seems unlikely that the SFP will be identified by name without a substantial breakthrough. I’ve reviewed countless small-name artists, including dozens with only one known signed painting, most of which are buried in descriptions of “American School” auction listings. So far, nothing has really “clicked” in terms of matching a hand to a name. It doesn’t help that there are so few works in the existing SFP oeuvre. But I’ll leave you with one more fine example: this gentleman holding a book (Fig. 13), which seems to demonstrate a more mature version of this artist’s hand.

Fig. 13, via Alex Cooper Auctioneers

The painting was sold via Alex Cooper Auctioneers (Maryland), which adds yet another state to our list, muddying the waters of provenance even further. However, there’s a much higher-quality image available (Fig. 14), thanks to the recent online sale (2017). It is a better picture in more ways than one. There is more crisp definition here than the “basket kid” above, and a stronger sense of personality. As ever, there’s that trademark indistinct gaze off into the middle distance – but this sitter is slightly more expressive, with a furrowed brow. Perhaps he’s contemplating a challenging passage from the text.

Fig. 14, via Alex Cooper

Unfortunately, the man is as anonymous as the book he’s holding. So are most of the sitters, as you’ve already seen. But, luckily, we do have one solid lead, pinning the SFP to a particular time and place: those Winter children, from Bath, Maine (Wealthy and Sarah, and Marcia and William.) Despite their John Brewster Jr. misattributions, the pair of paintings are highly valuable to the research quest. They’re also the subject of an inquiry on a genealogical research forum, and I plan to reach out to the genealogist in question and see if there are any “family papers” that might illuminate a connection between the sitters and our artist. 

With those key portraits in mind, I think it is safe to say the SFP can be renamed the “Winter Limner.” 

Fig. 15, sources listed throughout

That's all - for now.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this article. Please email me at emilyesser1@gmail.com if you recognize this artist, or if you have any suggestions or tips. 

Endnote: One hates to publish incomplete research, but this pile of paintings has sat in my drafts long enough! The Soft Faces Painter is one of my most long-running mysteries — but there are many more yet to come. Priority will be based on how much I like them, how many of them I have, and how much it bothers me that they aren’t solved.